Middle of Nowhere
by nothingbuttrouble202
Summary: He left her standing in the middle of nowhere...after that day she swore to never let love get in her way again. But, when she goes off to collage she makes new friends, does well in school, and then he comes back into her life. Will his reappearance destroy her or make her stronger? Smitchie!
1. Preview

**A/N: Hey there! Here is a possible new Smitchie story. I know this is a short preview but I'm not sure about it. So, what do you think?**

"You can't leave me like this!" She screamed as he pushed her out of his car.

"It's over, Mitchie!" He yelled out the passenger side window.

"You're really going to just leave me here? In the middle of nowhere?" She couldn't believe he was doing this to her.

"Have a nice life, Mitchie." And with those final words he sped off, leaving her stranded, in the middle of nowhere.

Mitchie wondered the open space for hours before she found civilization. She never spoke of what happened or why the boy, who supposedly loved her, left her that day, but from that day on she had vowed to change. No one would ever do that to her again.


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: Here is chapter 1! :) **

**I got a lot of positive feedback on this! I'm getting excited about this story! I'm sorry it took me so long to put this chapter up, I hadn't had much of it written since I wasn't sure if it was going to be a real story or not.**

**Keep reading and reviewing!**

Three years have passed, and now little Mitchie Torres is a freshman at Sacramento State College. The moment she got her high school diploma she fled from her small hometown in good old Huston, Texas. This was going to be her fresh start; a new place, new people, and a new her.

Mitchie quickly found her way around the campus and knew it like the back of her hand. She was a quick learner. She took a deep breath, and slowly reached for the doorknob to her dorm room but was surprised to see it already starting to open. She looked up and met the eyes of a petite girl, about 5'5, brunette, and deep brown colored eyes. "Oh, hello." She greeted, warmly.

"Hello." Mitchie smiled back. She could already tell they were going to be good friends. "You must be my roommate."

"I'm Caitlyn ." She held out her hand.

"I'm Mitchie. Nice to meet you."

"I'm sorry to cut the conversation short, but I must be off. I promised a friend I would help him unpack." She said moving past her. "I would love to talk to you more later though. Are you free for dinner, my treat?" She smiled.

Mitchie nodded. "That sounds great."

"Great! See you tonight then! I'll meet you back here at six. Does that work for you?"

"Perfect. I'll see you then."

Caitlyn gave her a quick smile and rushed out the door. Mitchie dragged her over-packed suitcase into the room and shut the door behind her. Taking a quick look around the room, Mitchie noticed it was small, but that is to be expected with a dorm room. The walls were an off white; there were two beds and a small kitchen area, consisting of a miniature fridge, microwave, a small counter, and a few cabinets.

She moved to the side of the room that had been untouched, assuming that it was her side of the room. Once she dropped her suitcase on the bed she dropped down next to it and looked up at the ceiling. She knew she should call her family, letting them know she's made it safe and sound and that things are well, but she honestly just wanted to forget. When she left her home, she planned on never going back. Yes, she loved her family and she wasn't going to avoid them forever, it was just what she needed. Though she never spoke about the day the boy she loved abandoned her, everything about her home reminded her of him. The day he left her was also the last day anyone in town saw or heard from him again.

Mitchie shut her eyes in attempt to repress the memories threatening to surface. It wasn't long after that she had fallen asleep. Though it felt like she had only shut her eyes for a moment, she felt herself being shaken awake. "Mitchie?" She heard someone say, continuing to shake her. She groaned and slowly opened her eyes, meeting Caitlyn's face. "Good morning, sunshine!" Caitlyn grinned. "It's five-thirty. I figured I should wake you to give you some time to get ready before I take you out to dinner."

"It's five-thirty?" Mitchie said shooting up in her bed, scrambling to find her phone. "How did that happen?"

"Well, you closed your eyes, fell asleep, and then I came back and woke you up." Mitchie glared at Caitlyn. "Hey! No need to glare. You are obviously not a morning person." She said moving to her bed and sitting down.

"No, I'm not." Mitchie mumbled.

"So, are you going to get up or are you going to stay in bed all night and skip out on a free meal?" Mitchie groaned once again, getting off of her bed and staring to rummage through her suitcase for different clothes. "We'll be leaving in twenty minutes!" Caitlyn smiled. "And, I hope you don't mind but I've invited another friend to join us. I figured you'd want to get to know more people. You don't mind do you?"

Mitchie smiled slightly. "No, of course not. Free food is free food, regardless of who is there."

"I like you, Miss Mitchie. I think we are going to get along quite well."

This comment made Mitchie grin. She loved her new roommate so far. "Back at you, Cat."

"Cat?" She giggled.

"Yes," Mitchie stated. "It's your nickname." Caitlyn smiled, approving the nickname. "So, tell me about this other friend you've invited on our girl date. What's her name?"

"_His_ name is Shane. He's my best guy friend."

_No. _Mitchie thought to herself. _It couldn't possibly._ She tried to assure herself.

"He's great! I met him when he moved to California three years ago." Caitlyn babbled.

_It's just a coincidence. _Mitchie told herself. _There is no way they're the same person. You're just being paranoid._

"Are you alright?" Caitlyn suddenly asked, breaking Mitchie away from her thoughts. "You look a little pale."

She shook off her paranoia and smiled. "Yeah, I'm fine, sorry. He sounds great. I'm going to start to get ready."

Mitchie looked in the bathroom mirror and almost screamed at what she saw. She saw herself three years ago, wondering around in the rain after being abandoned. She squeezed her eyes shut again and quickly opened them, relieved to see that she saw her current self again. For a girl running away from her past, it sure seemed to come back into her mind and remind her of the pain it has been causing her the last three years.

"All ready to go?" Caitlyn asked, standing in the doorway of their dorm.

"All ready." Mitchie smiled, following her out of the room, closing and locking the door behind her. "So, where exactly are we going?" She asked a few moments after they got into Caitlyn's car.

"There's a great sushi bar just ten minutes away from the school. You like sushi, right?"

Mitchie shrugged. "I've never really been a fish person."

Caitlyn frowned. "We don't have to go there. We can find somewhere else to eat, I don't mind."

"No, no." Mitchie protested. "I'll be able to find something to eat off the menu I'm sure. Growing up my family would make me go to a sushi restaurant and I always found something to eat. It's a gift of mine to always find something to eat at every restaurant I go to." She grinned.

"If you're sure."

Mitchie nodded. "I'm sure. There's no need to change plans." Caitlyn nodded and they continued to drive the short distance in silence.


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: Here it _finally _is! I'm sorry this took me so long! School has started up again and I've been trying really hard to stay on top of that and figure everything out! I like this chapter, I don't know why haha but I hope you all like it too (: thank you for all the reviews! And you can follow me on Twitter NBT_202 (: you don't have to but it would be nice! Sorry for the long authors note!**

Getting out of Caitlyn's car the smell of raw fish was strong. They walked into the small restaurant and Caitlyn immediately stopped her friend. She grabbed Mitchie by the wrist and proceeded to drag her to the bar, sitting her down at the stool to the right of her. "Hey, Shane!" Caitlyn said giving him a quick hug. Mitchie ignored their greeting and ordered herself a coke. "Shane, this is my roommate, Mitchie." Caitlyn smiled, moving so that they could see each other. "And, Caitlyn, this is my best friend, Shane."

Mitchie tried her hardest to keep a frown from forming on her lips. Her paranoia had turned out to be true. There he was; the reason she locked her heart away and replaced it with an empty shell. "Hi, Shane." Mitchie plastered on a fake smile and just pretended she didn't know him and that nothing was wrong. "It's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too, Mitchie." Shane said, holding out his hand.

Mitchie took her hand back as quickly as she put it in his, not wanting to feel the touch of his skin against her.

Nothing more was said between the two for the rest of the night, not that Mitchie was complaining. It was better than explaining to Caitlyn why she would have clawed Shane's eyes out. "Thank you for dinner, Mar." Mitchie said as Caitlyn opened their dorm door.

"It was my pleasure. I'm glad we could go out; and I'm glad you could meet Shane. We should all do it again soon."

Mitchie nodded her head in agreement, pretending to be interested. "That sounds great." She lied.

That night, Mitchie dreamed about the day Shane left her. _"What are we doing all the way out here?" Mitchie asked, turning to Shane. "I thought you said you wanted to talk." She crossed her arms over her chest. _

_"I can't do this anymore, Mitchie." Shane spoke softly. _

_Her jaw clenched. "You brought me all the way out here just to break up with me? Seriously?" She said disgusted. _

_Shane nodded. _

_She couldn't believe what was happening. He had every right to break up with her, yes, it sucked, but he didn't need to take her into the middle of nowhere to do it. "I can't believe you, Shane. We've been together for two years and not only are you dumping me out of the blue, but you dragged me ten miles out of town to do it like you're disposing a dead body." She tried to sound angry, but failed and her pain came across strong._

_Shane looked pained himself. "It doesn't matter why I brought you here. All that matters is I'm saying it to your face. You should just be happy I didn't do this over the phone or text. Don't girls hate that kind of shit?"_

_Mitchie slapped him across the face, tears rolling down her cheeks. "If you're going to be this way about it I would have rather had it be over the phone, you jerk."_

_He reached over and opened the passenger side door, undid her seat belt and shoved Mitchie. "Get out." He said lowly. _

_"You can't leave me like this!" She screamed. _

_"It's over, Mitchie!" He screamed out the passenger side window._

_"You're really going to just leave me out here? In the middle of nowhere?"_

_"Have a nice life, Mitchie." _

Mitchie woke up drenched in sweat and breathing heavily, Shane's final words stuck on repeat in her head. She looked over at the clock and saw that it was still the middle of the night. Knowing she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep, she quietly got out of bed, pulled on a jacket and flip flips and walked out of the dorm room.

Whenever Mitchie had nightmares, which was more common than she would like, whether they were about Shane or not, she found that getting out of bed and taking a walk outside always helped her calm down and eventually, depending on how long she was out, fall back asleep. So far, her walk wasn't helping. She was still hearing Shane's voice and it hurt her. She had spent so long locking herself away and pretending he didn't exist anymore that seeing his face again brought up all of her unwanted feelings.

Giving up on walking, she found a bench, sat down and put her face in her hands. "Are you alright?" She heard a voice say softly, causing her head to shoot up. She wasn't surprised to see that the voice belonged to Shane.

"Oh, hi, Mitchie, right?" He smiled politely. "We met at dinner." He continued, thinking that I didn't remember him.

Half of her was grateful he didn't remember her and the other half of her was offended and hurt. "Yeah, hi." She smiled weakly.

"What are you doing out here?" He asked smiling and pulling out his phone to look at the time. "At four o'clock in the morning?"

Mitchie shrugged. "I had a nightmare and being outside helps sometimes."

Shane's smile faded and dropped his head and played with his hands. Mitchie wasn't sure what she said to cause the sudden change in his behavior, but she was sure that she didn't want to break the silence. "I used to know someone who got terrible nightmares and she also said that walking around helped her forget them and fall back asleep." He smiled a little. "I used to stay wake up with her and stay with her until she fell asleep again."

Mitchie felt water start to form in her eyes, remembering all the late nights they shared and falling back into a peaceful sleep in his arms. "What happened to her?" She asked, her voice starting to shake.

This caught Shane's attention, making him look up and see a slowly breaking Mitchie. He just stared into Mitchie's watery eyes. "I abandon her." He finally whispered.

"Why?" Mitchie quickly responded. This had been the first time she'd let herself feel this much in three years; and now that she's started she doesn't think it will be easy to stop again.

Shane just shook his head. "We were talking about you so enough about me. There's plenty of time to get to know me, but right now I want to get to know you, Mitchie." He smiled, placing one of his hands over hers.

Little did he know that the girl he was sitting next to was one he used to know like the back of his hand.


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N: Yay! I'm so happy I was able to get another chapter up this fast! Hopefully I won't be swamped with a ton of homework this weekend so I can keep this up (: thank you again for all the reviews! It means a lot! **

It's been three weeks since Mitchie's late night conversation with Shane. She's been trying her hardest to avoid him at all costs, which was quite simple. She just threw herself into her classes, letting it consume her life.

Caitlyn wouldn't stand for this. Yes, she took her school work seriously, but she knew how to balance it all out and still have a social life. "Come out with me tonight." Caitlyn said, closing the textbook Mitchie had her face buried into one Friday night.

"I can't, I have a paper to write." Mitchie mumbled.

"Yes, a paper you've been working on every night this week and that isn't even due for another two weeks." Caitlyn protested. "It wouldn't kill you to go out for one night."

"I need to get this done, Mar, I'm sorry. I promise I'll go out with you another night." Mitchie said, trying to shoo her away and opening the textbook once again.

Caitlyn snatched the book and threw it across the room. "No one is this emotionally invested in school, Mitchie. You're obviously avoiding something." Mitchie looked down at her hands, refusing to meet Caitlyn's eyes. "Did I do something?" Caitlyn asked, hurt lacing her voice.

Mitchie's head shot back up. "No!" She quickly said. "You haven't done anything."

"Then tell me what the hell you're avoiding!" She demanded, sitting on top of the desk.

"I'm not avoiding anything!"

"Come out with me then! You've been cooped up in this dull dorm for far too long!"

"Fine!" Mitchie finally caved. "I'll go, I'll go!" A small smile formed on her lips.

"Yay!" Caitlyn squealed, hoping off the desk. "You won't regret it! Shane is going to be excited you're coming too!"

The smile Mitchie once had dropped. "Shane's coming?" She asked shyly.

"Yeah, of course. He's been asking about you a lot these past few weeks. I think he's kind of into you." Caitlyn teased, wiggling her eyebrows.

Mitchie's face fell more, if that was even possible.

"Whoa, what's with the face? I was just kidding. Well, not about the asking about you part, he really has been." Caitlyn said.

Mitchie didn't want to talk about Shane anymore so she decided to change the subject. "Where were you planning on dragging me out tonight exactly?"

"Well, there's this party across campus that everyone's invited to so I thought we would check that out and if it's lame I thought we could just go to a movie or something else instead."

Mitchie nodded in agreement. "Ok, when are we leaving?"

Caitlyn looked down at her phone in her hand. "Does half an hour work? I told Shane to be here at six."

She nodded again and collected her work, putting it away.

To say Mitchie was less than enthusiastic about going out tonight was an understatement. He had been asking about her and that means he thinks about her, which means he wants to get to know her and that just wasn't going to do.

"Mitchie?" Caitlyn yelled from inside their walk-in closet almost half an hour later.

"Yeah?" Mitchie shouted back.

"Shane is here. Can you let him in? I'll be out in a second. I just need to put on a top."

Mitchie groaned. "Fine!" She said getting off her bed. She quickly opened the door and went back to her bed without saying a word to Shane.

He awkwardly shuffled in and closed the door behind him, not straying far from the doorway. "Hey, Caitlyn." He shouted, knowing she was still in the closet.

"Hey, Shane." She shouted back. "Sorry I'm taking so long, I should be out in a second. Mitchie will keep you company until I come out. Did she tell you that I got her to come out with us?"

Shane glanced over at Mitchie. "No, she didn't. That's great." He said, not taking his eyes off of her. "What made you decide to grace us with your presence?" He asked, now standing at the end of Mitchie's bed.

Mitchie sat up and shrugged. "I don't know. Caitlyn wasn't going to leave me alone if I said no."

"Well, I'm glad you're coming." He offered her a small smile.

She stayed silent and looked down at the ground, wanting desperately to disappear. Why out of all the schools in America did he have to be at this one? Mitchie was starting to think it would have been better for her to stay in her home town. She knew it wasn't too late to change her mind and go back and never have to see Shane again.

Mitchie was lost in her thoughts when she was suddenly disrupted by a dip in the bed next to her. She shot her head up and found Shane now sitting next to her and staring at her intently. "What?" Mitchie asked.

"Do you not like me or something?" His question caught her off guard. "Don't look so surprised." He continued. "Ever since we met you've given me the vibe that you hate me and I can't figure out why."

Mitchie wanted to laugh. He was so oblivious to who she was. "I'm sorry you feel that way." She finally said.

"You aren't denying it."

"What good would it do? You wouldn't believe me if I said I didn't. You seem to have your mind made up."

"Who's ready to party?!" Caitlyn screamed, finally exiting the closet. "Why are you two still sitting? Let's go!" She said heading toward the door.

Mitchie stood up and quickly followed her roommate out the door. Shane sighed, stood up and followed the two girls shortly after, shutting the door behind him.

The party turned out to be exactly what Mitchie needed. The music was loud, there was people everywhere, free food, music, and best of all, Shane was nowhere to be found. She was cutting lose for the first time in years, and she loved every second of it. At least, she thought she was rid of Shane. After a few drinks, Mitchie found herself dancing with who she thought was a random guy. She knew she could be a little crazy when she was drunk, but that didn't stop her from drinking.

Mitchie turned around for the first time since she started dancing with the stranger and almost screamed in horror when she saw it was Shane she had just been grinding against. He was clearly intoxicated as well, because he smiled down at her, making her heart skip a beat, and sloppily pressed his lips against hers. She didn't push him away like she knew she should have, the alcohol's effects had soon taken over her slight moment of realization and they stumbled into a corner of the room and were locked in a heated make-out session. She was going to hate herself in the morning.


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hmm...not exactly sure how I feel about this chapter. What do you think? **

Just as she had predicted the night before, Mitchie hated herself. She woke up in a random bed, fully clothed, but cuddled up to Shane. She looked around the strange room and noticed that there were multiple people on the floor, all still asleep. Then, Shane started to shift, waking up.

Mitchie didn't want to still be there when he woke up so she shuffled out of the bed as fast as she could. "Leaving so soon?" Shane sat up, rubbing his eyes. She continued to ignore him. He sighed heavily and got out of the bed, making his way over to her. "Are you just going to ignore me now?"

Mitchie rubbed her throbbing temples and turned to Shane. "What would you like me to say? Would you like me to lie to you and say that last night was great and I want to see you again?"

"Why do you think I'm such a terrible person? You don't even know me!" Shane said defensively.

She scoffed. "You really don't remember me do you?"

"I just met you a few weeks ago." He said confused.

"You are an idiot." Mitchie shook her head. "You've known me since I was eleven and we dated for two years back in Texas."

Mitchie could almost see the wheels tuning in his head as he slowly started to register who she was. Satisfied with his reaction, she turned on her heal and walked out of the dorm. She wasn't sure what was going to happen now, not that it should bother her, but she did know that she wasn't going to be able to hide this from Caitlyn much longer.

After wondering around the campus all day, Mitchie finally decided to face the music and go back to her dorm room. Caitlyn was pacing the room back and forth when she arrived back. "Cat?" Mitchie asked timidly.

Caitlyn's head shot up and she glared at Mitchie. "Where the _hell _have you been?!" she shouted. "I thought something terrible had happened to you! I was about ready to call the police!"

Mitchie bowed her head. "I'm sorry. I should have come back sooner. I just wanted to walk off my hangover." She lied.

"What happened to you last night?" Caitlyn's voice softened.

Mitchie took a deep breath before speaking. "There's something I need to tell you that I should have said sooner."

Caitlyn looked worried. "What is it?" She asked after a moment.

Mitchie's heart was beating so fast she thought it was going to burst through her chest. "ShaneandIusedtodate." She slurred quickly together.

"What?" Caitlyn asked confused. "Could you say that again? But slower this time?"

"Shane and I used to date back in Texas." She said slowly this time.

Caitlyn's eyes widened, looking like she had just seen a ghost. "No," She said taking a step forward. "You're _the _Mitchie?"

Mitchie arched her eyebrows in confusion. "You know about me?"

Caitlyn nodded her head profusely. "I can't believe it's really you." She said in awe. "Shane wouldn't tell me much about you but he always sounded so sad whenever I brought you up. He kept a picture of you in his desk drawer. I found it one day and he ripped it out of my hands and told me not to bring it up again. Maybe you can explain to me exactly what happened to make him so jumpy at the mention of you. Did you break his heart or something?" She asked, sounding bitter.

Mitchie let out a bitter laugh. "No, I didn't break his heart it was the other way around." Caitlyn frowned and then arched her eyebrows. "He broke up with me and then left me in the middle of nowhere." She said, tears coming to her eyes, but not letting them fall. "He didn't even give me an explanation, he just left and that was the last time anyone saw him. I'm guessing that was when he moved to California."

"He just left you?" Caitlyn asked shocked. "And that was the last time you saw him? Until I brought him with us to dinner that first night?"

"He didn't even recognize me." This time Mitchie was whispering.

"Are you serious? This boy has been in love with you since I've met him and he stares at your picture every day as far as I know. What do you mean he didn't recognize you?" Caitlyn practically demanded.

"I mean that I had to tell him this morning who I was and I haven't talked to him since. For all I know he still doesn't understand and frankly, I don't care. I'm never seeing him again. I almost liked it better when he didn't remember me. It made everything less painful."

"Don't you want to know why he did what he did? Hasn't it been bothering you all these years? If I were you I would be demanding an explanation."

"It was three years ago, Caitlyn. The day he left I swore to myself that I was done with him and everything that had to do with him." Mitchie sighed. "I left Texas to get away from him for good and even though I failed miserably by finding out he goes to the same collage as me I'm still going to forget about him. He has no more reason to try and be in my life." She added firmly.

"He's not going to give up on you, you know. In the time I've known him, when he wants something he doesn't give up, and I know he's going to want you to talk to him again."

"I'm going back out for a walk." Mitchie sighed, for what felt like the hundredth time since she returned to her dorm, and walked to the door. "I would still like for us to be friends, but if you can't respect my wishes about Shane then I think you're going to need to find a new roommate."

Mitchie knew she was being overdramatic, but that's what Shane's breaking her heart had done to her. Though, as she was walking around again she did let her mind wonder to what Caitlyn had been saying. For the first time in three years, she was considering giving Shane the chance to explain himself. What was the harm in getting an explanation? Before she knew what she was doing she found herself at his dorm room door. She felt confident in what she was doing. This is what she needed. This is why they ended up at the same school together with the same mutual friend, so that Mitchie could get the closure she had been trying so desperately to ignore.

"Mitchie, hi." Shane said surprised when he opened the door. "I'm glad you're here I-"

"Why did you do it?" She interrupted.


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N: Ahh! I'm so glad I could finally get this up! I had it all typed and up and what not like early morning yesterday but then all of the sudden I decided to have a social life/school work but here it is and I've even started working on the next part so hopefully it will be up tomorrow or the next day. Enjoy! (: I'm sorry if this chapter isn't very good either!**

Shane and Mitchie sat awkwardly in his dorm room, not knowing exactly what to say. Mitchie was desperately trying to hold on to the confidence that got her to this point in the first place, but with every moment that past it faded. It took everything in her not to sprint out the door, without looking back and going back home. That would be the easy thing to do, but honestly, she didn't want to run anymore. She was happy here, despite the fact that he was there as well. "Are you going to answer me anytime soon or am I just wasting more of my time on you?" Mitchie said finally breaking the silence.

Shane sighed. "I don't know what to say to you, Mitchie. I honestly didn't think I was ever going to see you again."

"Trust me, I didn't think I would ever see you again either. In fact, I had been counting on it when I moved here."

"I'm sorry." He mumbled. "What I did to you was wrong of me."

"I didn't come here for an apology, I came for an explanation. It's the least you could do."

"You do deserve an explanation but honestly, I can't give you one that's going to be good enough for you." Shane said standing up.

"Just give me the fucking truth for once!" Mitchie shouted. "All I want is the truth! You make it sound like I'm asking you to make up something just to make me feel better! I just want to know why!"

"You want the truth?!" He shouted back. "Here's the truth, I'm a dick! I left you there because I didn't know how to else to handle it!"

"Handle what?! You didn't need to dump me there just to end our relationship! Did you really think I would react so bad that you needed to do what you did to protect your selfish self?!" This would be the part in a cartoon where steam would come out of her ears because she was so angry. All she wanted was an explanation and he was clearly avoiding it. "I thought you knew me better than that back then."

"In the moment I thought it was the right thing to do. I thought that by making you hate me it would be easier to leave you."

That's when it clicked. How could she have been so stupid? He did it because he was moving. "You are a dick." Mitchie spat, standing from her seat and marching over to the door, about to swing it open.

Before she could get much further, Shane took a hold of her wrist and spun her back around. "That's it?" He asked softly. "You're just going to walk out?"

"You abandon me because you were moving?" She responded coolly. "It was that hard to tell me that you took the easy way out?"

Shane's grip on her wrist tightened slightly. "I was only sixteen, Mitchie. I was scared and in love. If you're so smart, what would you have done?"

"I would have had to balls to say that it was over and left it at that. I wouldn't have gone through all the trouble to ditch you in the middle of nowhere so I could make a cheap and easy get away without any further explanation that much I can tell you."

Shane was at a loss for words. The girl that was standing in front of him wasn't the same sweet innocent girl he had once known. It made him start to think about exactly what he had done to her. Was it his fault she was so guarded? "Now, could you please release my wrist? I'd like to leave now."

He stayed silent, pulling Mitchie closer to him. "Can I please make it up to you?" He whispered.

Mitchie shook her head profusely. "No, you don't get to do this." She said trying to pull away from his grip. "You don't get to do this to me after three years. This part of my life is over."

Shane wouldn't loosen his grip. He kept it tight enough so that he could keep Mitchie where she stood but not enough to hurt her. "I can't let you walk away." He started. "I promised myself that if I ever saw you again I would make things right."

Mitchie finally broke out of his grip and glared at him. "And I promised myself I would never have to see you again but look how that turned out. Promises are meant to be broken. I hate you, Shane Baker." She spat.

"If you really hated me you wouldn't have let me kiss you last night." He smirked.

"I was drunk you idiot." She rolled her eyes.

"You knew exactly what you were doing and you knew it. I saw the look of realization in your eyes when you turned around and saw it was me you were dancing with."

"Maybe I did, but it was the alcohol taking over. If I had been sober I would have kneed you in the balls without hesitation."

"Did I really do this to you?" He asked seriously. "Did my leaving you really have this much of an effect?"

"Don't flatter yourself, Shane. Being left that way could mess up anyone, especially when you loved that person more than you should have and you find out they didn't really love you back."

Mitchie just wanted to be done with Shane and move on. Standing there, in front of him, made her feel like a fool. She hated the part of her that did in fact enjoy the drunken kiss they shared the night before. She was starting to think that that part of her was never going to go away.

"You honestly believe I didn't love you?"

Mitchie just stayed silent.

Shane was dumbfounded. He couldn't believe Mitchie went on thinking he never loved her, when in reality he thought he was the one who loved her too much.


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N: Here is the next chapter, as promised! :D I'm not sure when I'll be able to get the next chapter up, sadly! D: even though I have a four day weekend my mother decided to torchure me with a camping trip! I might possibly get one up tomorrow, maybe reviews will inspire it? ;P**

**Thank you again so much to everyone who reviews! It keeps me going! (: Enjoy! **

"Mitchie, I loved you so much. I thought you knew that." Shane said. "I didn't think my leaving would make you question that."

Mitchie didn't know what to say anymore. The strength she had been building in the last three years was crumbling around her.

"Please," Shane begged taking a step closer toward her. "Give me a chance to make things right."

"No," Mitchie's voice cracked. "Goodbye, Shane." She said opening the door. "Have a nice life."

Mitchie was proud of herself. She was the one who got to walk away this time. He didn't get to break her heart again.

Still feeling confident, Mitchie rushed back to her dorm room to try and save her friendship with Marcy, assuming she had decided to really request a new roommate. She swung the door open and found Caitlyn lying across her bed, reading a magazine. "You're back." Caitlyn said, not looking up from her magazine.

"I'm sorry about before."

This made Caitlyn look up.

"I talked to Shane, and I demanded an explanation."

"And?" Caitlyn asked.

"And that's it. I got what I needed." Mitchie sat down at the edge of Caitlyn's bed. "There was nothing more for me to say to him."

"So that's it? You're done with him now?"

"I got my explanation. There was nothing left to be said. He's my past and I want to focus on my future." Mitchie shrugged.  
"He's not going to just let you go so easily. You know that right?"

"Why do you keep saying that?" Mitchie groaned.

"Because it's the truth!"

"He has no reason to keep pushing, other than guilt, maybe."

Caitlyn rolled her eyes. "You and I both know that's not true. He obviously still cares about you and you're just too afraid to admit that you still care about him too!"

Mitchie stood from Caitlyn's bed and dropped onto her own. "No, just no." She protested. "I'm done talking about this."

"Fine!" Caitlyn said. "Just know that when it happens, I'm ready to say I told you so."

Another month passed by before Mitchie ran into Shane again. Caitlyn respected her wishes and stopped making plans to be with both of them at the same time.

Mitchie was sitting at a small table outside of a small café, sipping on a warm drink when she noticed the empty chair in front of her became occupied. She looked up to see who was disturbing her and rolled her eyes when she saw none other than Shane smirking at her. "Can I help you?" She asked annoyed.

"I haven't seen you in a while. How are you?" He asked.

"Shane please, just leave me alone." She said gathering up her belongings.

"Why can't we at the very least be friends?"

"Ex's can't be friends, especially when one is just trying to be rid of guilt." Mitchie pushed in her chair and walked away.

"It's not guilt, Mitchie. I genuinely want to be a part of your life again, even if it's just as friends."

"Well, I don't want you to be a part of my life again, Shane. How many more times do I have to say it before you give up?" Mitchie stopped walking and faced him, avoiding his stare.

This gesture didn't go unnoticed by Shane. He reached out and lifted her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes. He smirked when he looked into her eyes and saw fear. He knew why she was afraid, and that was what gave him hope. He wasn't going to give up.

"I'll give up when I know you mean it." He dropped her chin and then turned on his heels, leaving Mitchie.

As Shane walked away, Mitchie let out a shaky breath. _This is getting ridiculous. _She thought to herself.

Mitchie decided that she needed to get off of campus, just to get some new scenery in. She ruffled through her bag and pulled out her car keys, practically racing to her car.

Since she wasn't too familiar with the area, she just drove around until she found what looked like a mall. She found a sign that read: Arden Fair Mall. How far had she driven? Mitchie parked and got out of her car, beginning to walk into the large Macy's. It was only Wednesday, so there weren't a lot of people around.

Eventually she made her way toward the other side of the mall and found a book store. It was the perfect place for her to stop.

Growing up, Mitchie loved to read. Instead of going outside and playing, she often stated inside and had her nose in a book. It wasn't until Shane moved next door that she started to gain a life outside of her books. Of course she didn't give up books completely; she was just forced to find a way to balance everything out.

Walking into the store, Mitchie couldn't help but break out into a huge grin. There were books everywhere. Being there was exactly what she needed. By the end of it, she bought seven new books. She figured that would keep her occupied, when she wasn't doing homework.

Mitchie was walking back to her car when she accidentally crashed into another person. "I'm so sorry!" She said scrambling to pick up what she caused the stranger to drop.

"You're fine." He chuckled. "It was my fault; I should have been looking where I was going." He said leaning down to help collect his things.

After a couple minutes, they got everything sorted out and were standing in front of each other. Mitchie hadn't gotten a good look at the guy until that moment and she realized that he looked oddly familiar. "Mitchie?" He said first.

"Oh my God, Nate?" Mitchie gasped. "What are you doing here?" She asked hugging him.

"I'm in town visiting a friend. What are you doing here?" He smiled.

Nate was Shane's best friend back in high school. He and Mitchie were never that close, but spent a lot of time together, considering they were both a big part of Shane's life. After Shane broke it off with Mitchie, she lost touch with Nate as well. He had already moved to another school before Shane left so there was no point in staying in touch.

"I got to Sacramento State." She smiled.

"Oh that's great!" He put a friendly hand on her shoulder.

Mitchie's smiled grew. "How have you been?"

"I've been alright, not much to tell. I go to school in Santa Cruz though, so that's pretty fun. How have you been?"

Mitchie shrugged. "I've been living. I assume you know about the situation with Shane."

Nate's smiled dropped. "I didn't want to say anything. He says you've been refusing to talk to him."

She shrugged again. "I don't have a reason to."

Nate was about to respond, but Mitchie knew he would want to keep talking about Shane and that was the last thing she wanted to do. "Listen, I have to get going but it was great seeing you again. We should catch up some time. See you around, Nate." She quickly hugged him again and sped walked to her car.

Once she was to safety, she pressed her forehead against her steering wheel and let out a deep sigh. _This is going to be a long year_. She thought to herself before starting the car and driving back to school.


	8. Chapter 7

**A/N: So I managed to write this entire chapter during school on paper and get it typed up to publish today, you're welcome! :P I'm seriously loving all the reviews! You guys are AMAZING! 3 I couldn't do this without you. I might be able to get one more chapter up before I'm forced to go camping on Saturday, but no promises. I hope you guys like this! Enjoy! (:**

Getting back to school, Mitchie was exhausted. The rest of her classes had been cancelled for the day, allowing her to go back to her dorm room with the possibility of a nap.

"How was coffee?" Caitlyn asked as Mitchie entered the room.

"It didn't do enough. I'm still exhausted." She replied.

"Are you seriously going to take a nap in the middle of the afternoon?"

"I'm tired." Mitchie groaned, dropping onto her bed. "Leave me alone."

"I wouldn't get to comfortable if I were you." Caitlyn said. "Shane's coming over soon to work on a project and he's bringing a friend for me to meet."

This made Mitchie sit up quickly. "Okay, okay. I'm leaving." She quickly gathered up her belongings that she had just put away.

"Don't you want to stay and see if his friend is cute?"

"I already know the friend he's bringing to meet you. I have no reason to stay."

Caitlyn frowned. "How do you know already?"

"You seem to forget that I've known Shane longer than you."

"I really wish you two would just be friends or whatever again. I feel like I'm living two different lives." Caitlyn complained.

Mitchie felt sorry for Caitlyn . It must have been difficult to have two friends who have history together and now want very different things. That's why she decided to do something she knew was going to regret later.

"I'll stay." She said dropping her bag and walking back over to her bed.

Caitlyn grinned. "Really? You'll stay?"

Mitchie nodded. "I know it sucks having Shane and I as friends so I'm going to suck it up tonight and stick around."

Caitlyn squealed and hugged Mitchie tightly. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! You have no idea how much this means to me!"

Thirty minutes later, Shane and Nate were at the door. Caitlyn answered, getting them with hugs and grins while Mitchie stayed put on her bed. It was going to be difficult for Mitchie to not sprint out of the room and never come back.

"Hi, Mitchie ." Nate smiled, sitting down next to her on her bed.

She smiled up at him. "Hi, Nate."

"So, you're Shane's other best friend's roommate. What are the odds of that?" He laughed.

"I know right?" She laughed as well. "I'm just lucky I guess." She added sarcastically.

Mitchie noticed Shane looking over at her frequently. She didn't think that he had registered Nate remembered her yet. "Are you ever going to forgive him?" Nate asked, catching Mitchie staring at Shane.

She snapped her head back to him. "I want to, mostly, but I can't. I'm not going to let him get to me that way again. I don't ever want to feel that low again."

"What happened that day? Shane refuses to talk about it. He didn't even tell me you two had broken up until I asked him how you were handling his move."

"I don't really want to talk about it either, Nate." She said looking down at her hands.

"Well, whatever did happen between you two, I know that Shane regrets it and is truly sorry." Nate offered a small smile.

"Do you think he's realized that we've recognized each other yet?" Mitchie asked a few moments later.

"I think he thinks we're flirting." Nate laughed again. "Look at the way he stares when he turns his head. He looks so jealous and angry. I think he wants to kill me."

Mitchie couldn't help but giggle as well. She did find it pretty funny how right Nate was. Shane was clearly jealous.

"So he hasn't told you I'm here?"

Nate shook his head no.

"What would you say to giving him more grief?" Mitchie wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

"I would say let's do it." He grinned.

"Just follow my lead." She said standing up. "Caitlyn ?" She asked walking over to where she and Shane were working.

"Yeah, Mitchie ?" Caitlyn looked up.

"Nate and I are bored so we're going to go and grab something to eat. We'll be back later, okay?"

Caitlyn quickly caught on to what Mitchie was up to. She was really impressed. She liked this side of her. "Alright you two, have fun!" She winked.

And that's exactly what Mitchie had planned on doing. Before leaving the room, she took note of the anger that was spread across his face. For an extra effect, Mitchie grabbed Nate's hand and held it as she closed the door behind them, smirking right at Shane.

"You're evil." Nate laughed as they walked down the walk way, exiting the dorm buildings.

"Did you see the look on his face?" She laughed as well. "I thought he was going to get up from his chair and like scream!"

"I know!" She stopped walking. "So, where do you want to go? I actually am pretty hungry. What do you say to finding something to eat?"

"That sounds great." Nate agreed.

Eventually they found a small sandwich shop and decided to stop looking and eat there. Mitchie enjoyed talking to Nate. This was the first time they had really ever hung out one on one, before it was nice to have another friend.

Two hours later, they had decided they had spent enough time out to really anger Shane. Walking into the room, Mitchie noticed that Caitlyn was passed out at the desk and Shane was still sitting next to her, obviously in deep thought.

"Hey, Shane." Nate greeted patting him on the back.

"Where have you two been? You've been gone for hours!" He half yelled, not wanting to wake up Caitlyn .

"It took us a while to find somewhere to eat that we agreed on. What does it matter that we were gone for so long? You and Caitlyn were working and we were bored!" Nate defended.

"Do you realize who she is?" Shane asked, clearly still upset.

Nate and Mitchie laughed.

"What's so funny?" Shane was becoming more upset.

"Of course I know who she is! I'm not as daft as you are! I ran into Mitchie earlier today and then when you and Caitlyn were working we decided to go out and catch up some more." Nate laughed, clutching his stomach.

Shane glared at Nate and then moved his gaze over to Mitchie . "May I speak with you outside? Alone?"

Mitchie rolled her eyes and followed him outside the door. "What is it, Shane?" She asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"What's going on between you two?" He asked bitterly, obviously not fully wanting to know the answer.

"Nothing is going on between us. We were just catching up. He did become a friend of mine when we were together, and he recognized me the second he saw me. He was worthy of giving some time to."

"So if I had realized who you were from the start you would have given me another chance?" Shane raised an eyebrow.

"Of course not." Mitchie stated. "It's different with you."

Shane lightly pushed Mitchie against the wall and pressed their bodies close together. "What are you doing?" Mitchie gasped.

Shane smirked. "This is for using Nate to try and make me jealous."

Before Mitchie could ask him what he meant she felt his lips press roughly against hers. There was no taking it slow with Shane. He just wanted to make Mitchie see how much he really cared for her.

Mitchie didn't move for the first part of the kiss. She was just so surprised by his action, it had literally come out of nowhere, but none the less she soon found herself melting into the kiss. The part of her that wanted Shane was taking her over and there seemed to be no stop.

"I still love you, Mitchie ." Shane mumbled into the kiss.


	9. Chapter 8

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait! School is killing me! I hope you guys still like this! (: **

Mitchie froze, pushing Shane away. She turned on her heels and walked back into the dorm. Caitlyn was awake now, she noticed, and talking to Nate. She needed to stay calm, making it appear that nothing was wrong. "How was your chat with Shane?" Nate smirked.

Mitchie fake smiled. "He was upset, just as I knew he would be."

Caitlyn seemed to be easily fooled by Mitchie's fake smiles, but Nate wasn't buying any of it. The rest of the evening was uneventful, Shane kept his distance and no other words were said.

Mitchie knew Shane wasn't going to give up, no matter how much she begged, but she also knew she wouldn't last much longer now.

The next night, Shane was to come over again to work on his project with Caitlyn, only to arrive before Caitlyn had gotten back from a study group she was at. "Where's Caitlyn?" He asked, shutting the door behind him.

"She's still studying at the library. She should be back soon." Mitchie mumbled.

"Then that gives us time to talk." He took a seat next to Mitchie on her bed.

"I don't want to talk." She protested.

"When do you ever?" He chuckled.

She stayed silent.

"How much longer are you going to pretend you don't want to give into me?" He slowly placed his hand on her upper thigh.

Her breathing hitched. "Until you realize why I can't do that again." She pushed his hand off of her and moved to the small kitchen area, looking for something to distract her.

Shane stood up as well, wrapping his arms around Mitchie's waist. His lips ghosted over her ear, sending shivers down her spine. "Stop it." Mitchie begged, leaning into his touch.

"You don't want me to." He whispered in her ear.

Mitchie heard the room door being opened and took this opportunity to push Shane away from her. "Sorry I'm late, Shane. We were running a bit behind." Caitlyn sighed, dropping her bag to the ground.

"It's fine." Shane smiled.

"Is everything okay, Mitchie?" Caitlyn's eyebrows creased.

She didn't realize she had been shaking. She quickly made her way out of the room. "What did you do?!" She heard Caitlyn shout at Shane as she sprinted away.

Mitchie felt weak. This feeling had been foreign to her for so long, she forgot how horrible it had felt. But, she should have known that when Shane was around, he would tear down the barriers she had worked so hard to build up.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a hand grabbing her wrist, spinning her around and meeting Caitlyn's gaze.

Caitlyn's eyes were soft. She offered Mitchie a small smile. "Are you okay?"

Mitchie sighed. She wanted to lie and say everything would be fine and move on, but she needed to stop lying to herself. "I've seen better days." She smiled weakly. "What are you doing out here? Shouldn't you be working on your project?"

"The project can wait. I wouldn't be able to work knowing you're not okay. So, tell me what happened?" Caitlyn lightly rubbed Mitchie's back.

She took a deep breath, unsure of where she should start. "I'm sure you can guess it was Shane."

"What did he do? You looked really shaken up back there."

"I almost gave in." Mitchie whispered.

"What?"

"He told me he still loves me," Mitchie met Caitlyn's eyes. "And we kissed."

Caitlyn nodded her head. "Of course he still loves you, Mitch. Isn't it obvious?" She tried to sympathize.

"It's different when it's said out loud. It changes everything!"

"Only because you liked pretending you didn't know. You can't hide behind unspoken words anymore and that scares you."

Mitchie clenched her jaw.

"I know that isn't what you wanted to hear, but it's what you needed to hear. I know Shane being back scares you shitless and it's bringing up all these repressed feelings, but they can't stay repressed forever. It's not healthy, Mitchie. Just talk to him, it's what you both need."

Caitlyn patted Mitchie's shoulder lightly and turned on her heel, leaving Mitchie alone to process her words. Mitchie knew Caitlyn was right, she didn't like it, but she accepted it.

After another hour of thinking and clearing her head, Mitchie decided she was ready to talk. Before getting too far, Mitchie sent Caitlyn a text, asking if Shane was still with her or not. When she responded, saying no, she walked toward Shane's dorm building, hoping he would be there.

Shakily, Mitchie brought her knuckles up to knock lightly on the door. Expecting to find Shane, or his roommate, answer the door she was surprised to see Nate. "Hello, Mitchie." He grinned.

"Nate, hi. Uh, is Shane around?" She asked sheepishly.

"He just stepped out to pick up a pizza. Would you like to come in and wait for him?" He offered, opening the door wider.

She nodded and stepped inside the room, standing awkwardly in the doorway.

"You can sit down you know, make yourself comfortable."

"Thanks." She mumbled, sitting down in the chair nearest the door in the kitchen area.

"So, what did you come to talk to Shane about?" Nate asked.

Mitchie shrugged, not wanting to talk about Shane with Nate anymore than she had previously.

"Are you finally going to tell him you still love him too?" Nate smirked.

Mitchie couldn't stop the blush from spreading across her cheeks. "I just need to talk to him."

"He told me what about what happened the other day and what happened earlier today. He's really worried about you. He didn't mean to scare you so badly."

Mitchie opened her mouth to speak but decided against it and closed it again. She wanted to wait to have this conversation with Shane. She didn't want to repeat herself, knowing it would be hard enough to say everything a first time.

"Maybe I should just come back another time, when Shane is actually here." Mitchie said, a few awkward moments later, standing up and making her way over to the door.

But, as she reached for the door, Shane was already opening it and walking inside. "M-Mitchie, what are you doing here?" He stuttered, almost dropping the pizza box in his hands.

"I was actually just leaving." She said, trying to get past him, only to find herself being pulled back into the room by her wrist by Nate.

"You're not going anywhere." He said, pushing her to sit down on, what she assumed, was Shane's bed. "You two are finally going to talk whether you like it or not." He crossed the room and dragged Shane over to Mitchie, sitting him down next to her. "Fix things!" He shouted before leaving the room, shutting the door behind him.

Mitchie took a deep breath and decided to start the conversation. "I'm ready to talk, Shane, if you'll listen."

Shane nodded, trying to fight back a smile, hope sparkling in his eyes.


	10. Chapter 9

**A/N: This chapter is complete shit! :/ I hope you'll still continue reading this! Feel free to tell me just how shity this is! Haha. I will try and make the next one better!**

"I'm sorry about running away the way I did," Mitchie started. "But, honestly Shane, what did you expect? Were you expecting me to just give back into you after everything so easily? You really hurt me."

Shane lightly placed a hand over hers, squeezing it gently, urging her to continue.

"I don't understand how you can still say you love me after all this time. If you really loved me in the first place you wouldn't have left me the way you did, right?"

"Like I've said, Mitchie, I was scared. You know what it's like to run away when you're scared. That's what you did after high school to escape me."

Mitchie nodded her head, slowly understanding. Running away always seems like the easiest thing to do in the moment.

"Okay." She said.

"Okay?" Shane asked, confused.

"I understand why you did what you did," She explained. "I still don't like it and it still hurts like hell, but I understand."

"So, does this mean you forgive me?" He questioned.

Mitchie slowly nodded, still hesitant of her choice. She stood from the bed, looking down at Shane. She was unsure of what she should do next. She wasn't ready to give her heart to him again, as he was willing to take it.

"I know that you're still unsure of giving me another chance, I understand your fear, but please know I'm not going anywhere again." He stood up and moved closer to her, their noses almost touching.

She sucked in her breath, afraid of moving away. The only movement she would make was the nodding of her head. "Mitchie?" Shane whispered.

She looked back up at him, still unable to speak.

"Will you please say something?"

Mitchie opened her mouth, but quickly shut it again not knowing what she should say. "Friends?" She finally managed to squeak out, her voice only sounding of a whisper.

Shane's face fell dramatically. Mitchie knew what he wanted, to be together, she wasn't ready for that. The most she could offer him was her friendship, which, in her opinion, was better than her original plan of cutting him out completely.

"Friends?" He repeated, hurt lacing his voice.

"That's all I can offer you right now, Shane. I'm not the same naïve little girl you met when you were eleven." Mitchie spoke, trying to keep her voice even and confident. "I've changed, grow up, I'm guarded now." She said honestly.

Shane looked down at the ground and sighed, feeling defeated. "I don't know if I can do that, Mitchie. I understand where you're coming from, I do, and I just can't ignore my own feelings."

It was Mitchie's turn to look down at the ground and nod. "It seems that we're at an in pass then."

"It seems so." He dug his hands into his pockets, knowing where his words have now landed him.

"Can we at least be civil around each other?" She asked, hopeful. "For Caitlyn's sake? We've put her through enough with our situation."

Shane nodded and turned away, desperately wanting this conversation to be over and opened the door, signaling for Mitchie to leave him to wallow in self-pity.

Mitchie sighed and walked over to the door. "I'm sorry I couldn't tell you what you wanted to hear." She couldn't help but let a tear escape down her cheek. She leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on Shane's cheek before walking out the door.

"Is everything good between you two again?" Nate asked hopeful, running into Mitchie in the hall.

"We have an understanding." I smiled weakly and continued out of the building.

I heard Nate groaning, obviously understanding that in-fact, no, things were not okay between them again.

Caitlyn gave the same reaction after Mitchie had told her what happened between her and Shane. Mitchie had tried to reassure her that there would be no need to avoid each other any longer and that they would always be there for her when she needed them, even if that meant being around each other.

Caitlyn was grateful for this, but knew it wasn't what either of them wanted. She knew Mitchie was afraid and Shane wanted to move forward. She knew this was going to be a long year ahead of her.

A few days have passed since Mitchie and Shane's talk, and since Caitlyn had decided to move from working on her and Shane's project at their dorm, to Shane's dorm. Mitchie had tried to tell Caitlyn that she didn't need to do so, but Caitlyn insisted.

Except, a week after the switch, there was a change of plans and they needed to work in Mitchie and Caitlyn's room again. Mitchie honestly didn't mind, at least that's what she had kept saying, but Caitlyn knew it wasn't what she preferred.

"Do you want me to leave?" Mitchie asked, rolling her eyes at Caitlyn's attempt to cancel with Shane. "Because if you're going to make this big a deal out of it then I can do that so you can work without having a spaz attack."

"Are you sure it won't be awkward? I don't want you two to feel awkward."

Mitchie grabbed Caitlyn by the shoulders. "I promise you everything will be fine! It's not like I haven't handled you two working here before. Nothing has changed."

Caitlyn sighed, finally giving in. "Okay, okay, fine. I'll stop freaking out."

"Thank you!" Mitchie giggled.

Caitlyn rolled her eyes. "I need to hit the bathroom really quickly. Can you let Shane in if I'm not back when he gets here? Will you be able to handle that?"

"Yes, mom, I can handle opening the door for someone." She rolled her eyes again. "Now, get out of here and go pee or whatever you need to do!" She said while shoving her out of the room.

Less than a minute later, sure enough Shane was at the door.

"Hi, Shane. Caitlyn's in the bathroom but she should be back any second." Mitchie said as politely as she could, letting him into the room.

She was actually rather proud of herself for not feeling as awkward as Shane obviously looked.

"You don't need to be so tense, Shane."

He looked up, sadness in his eyes. He looked awful truthfully. The bags under his eyes had bags. Mitchie's heart sank. She wanted to know if he was okay, but she already knew the answer.

"Are you okay?" She asked anyways, not sure she actually wanted to know the answer.

He shrugged.

Talking to Shane felt like pulling teeth. It was painful.

"You look like you haven't slept in days." She continued.

"That's because I haven't. I've had too much on my mind." He said lowly.

"Why not?" She asked timidly.

He stared directly into Mitchie's eyes, holding her stare. "I can't stop thinking about what I've done to you." He whispered after a few moments of staring.


	11. Chapter 10

**A/N: Surprise! Two chapters in one weekend! I'm so proud of myself! Haha. Thank you for the feedback! I'm glad you didn't think the last chapter was as crapy as I thought it was! I hope you enjoy this! **

"Shane-" Mitchie started.

"I didn't mean to change you so dramatically," He interrupted her. "I broke you, Mitchie. I'm never going to be able to forgive myself for that."

"You didn't break me, Shane." She took a step closer toward him. "It's nothing that time hasn't been fixing." She lightly placed a hand on his cheek, stroking it with her thumb.

"But it was enough to not let yourself forgive me." He countered.

"I told you that I forgive you, Shane."

"Then why can't you give me another chance?"

Mitchie hated seeing Shane like this, so broken.

"You haven't proven to me that I should. You've only shown me how sorry you are for what happened three years ago and that you aren't that same guy anymore but you haven't shown me that you're the kind of guy I should be with again. Three years is a long time, Shane. We're both different people now. You don't know me like the back of your hand anymore."

Now Shane took a step forward, allowing Mitchie to feel his breath against her skin.

"Just answer me this," He spoke. "Can you look me in the eyes and tell me that there isn't a part of you that still has feelings for me and wants to give me another chance?"

"I never said I didn't still have some feelings for you, Shane. I just said that I'm not sure if I can give into those feelings." She took a small step back.

Shane didn't allow the space to last long, he took another step forward, snaking his arms around her waist, pressing their chests together.

"What are you doing, Shane? Caitlyn is going to be coming back any second now." Mitchie protested, slightly pushing on his chest.

He sighed, stepping back a little. "Fine, but this conversation isn't over, yeah?"

Mitchie smiled slightly. "Even if I said it was that wouldn't stop you. We can talk later."

Then a few seconds later, as if on que, Caitlyn walking into the room. "Well, I'm glad to see that you two haven't killed each other." She laughed, shutting the door behind her and stepping closer to the two. "Ready to get to work, Shane?" She rested her hands on her hips.

"Absolutely." He grinned.

Caitlyn's eyes flickered to Mitchie's quickly and moved back to Shane's.

"I like the enthusiasm." She grinned back.

"So," Mitchie spoke up. "I've decided that I'm going to make a food run. Would either of you like me to get you something?"

"No thanks, I'm good." Caitlyn said first.

Mitchie looked over to Shane, waiting for his answer.

"I'm fine," He finally said. "Nate and I ate before I came over here."

"How is Nate by the way?" Caitlyn asked. "When is he leaving?"

"He's good. He's leaving tomorrow morning."

"He's been here a while," Mitchie commented. "Hasn't he been missing school?"

"Yeah, but he said he would be able to catch up on what he's missed. He's even done some of his school work while he's been here. Most of his teachers post their lectures on line I guess." Shane shrugged.

"Oh, alright," Mitchie said, grabbing her car keys. "I'll be back soon. See you two later."

Mitchie decided to stop at a nearby Subway and get herself a sandwich, and instead of taking it back to the dorm she decided to stay there and eat it, enjoying some time to herself.

As she sat and ate her food, her mind started to wonder to her family. She hadn't talked to anyone from her home town since she arrived to California. Her parents called her almost daily, but still she never picked up. She knew she had no reason not to talk to them, she didn't even know why she was avoiding them anymore. The one she had tried to escape from was with her so there was no reason to try and cut off everyone from her home town anymore. Anything she had been trying to forget was closer to her than ever before.

Taking a deep breath, Mitchie decided it was time to call her parents back. "Hello?" Her mother said, picking up the phone only after a few rings.

"Hi, mom." Mitchie said nervously.

"Mitchie, sweetie, is that you?" Her mother asked breathlessly.

"Yeah, it's me mom. How are you?"

"Why haven't you been returning your father and I's phone calls? We've been worried sick about you! We thought something terrible had happened! Are you okay?" Her mother asked quickly, fearing that Mitchie would hang up soon.

"I'm sorry, I've just been busy. College life is hectic." Mitchie joked, trying to lighten her mothers' serious mood.

"Well," She huffed. "You could have called us when you arrived at the very least."

"I know, I should have. I'm sorry, mom."

Her mother sighed. "It's okay, sweetie. All that matters is that you're calling now and that you're alright."

Mitchie let a small smile form on her lips. She really had missed her mother, whether she was willing to admit it out loud or not.

"So, have you made any new friends? How are your classes going?" Her mother continued.

"I've become good friend with my roommate, she's great mom, I think you would really like her." Mitchie smiled. "Her name is Caitlyn. As for classes, well, their kicking my butt. I feel like I always have my nose in a book." She laughed lightly.

"That's great sweetie, it's important for you to get along with the person you live with, or else you would just both be miserable. I'm sorry that classes are consuming, as time goes on you'll figure out a way to balance everything out."

"Caitlyn's helping me out with that; she's great at balancing a social life and school work out."

As the conversation digressed, Mitchie decided not to tell her mother about Shane being back, knowing she would ask tons of questions, want to know how she was dealing with it, possibly be upset and demand that she leave and come home, which Mitchie really did not want to do.

After Shane broke her heart, Mitchie's mother loathed him. Before the incident however, she absolutely adored him, Mitchie was even convinced her mother had been secretly planning their wedding. When he broke up with Mitchie however, not knowing the full story, hated seeing how broken it had left her daughter. Though, her mother would never admit it, she secretly did hope that Shane would make it up to her and that she could see her daughter happy again.

After another hour of talking, Mitchie decided she should head back to her dorm room before Caitlyn started to worry about her. "I should go mom, I'm at Subway and I've been gone for a while. I need to head back to my room before Caitlyn starts to think I've died."

"Okay, sweetie. You're father will be sorry he missed, so call again soon, okay?"

"Sure thing mom, love you. Bye."

Mitchie arrived back on to campus, and as she opened the door to her dorm building, she saw Shane walking toward her to exit the building. "Hey." He smiled weakly.

"Hey." She smiled back.

And that was all they said. He kept walking out the door and she kept walking in.


	12. Chapter 11

**Here is the next chapter! So, this might be my last update for a while, it's my birthday on Monday and I'm doing my celebrating this weekend since I'm busy next weekend but I will try my hardest to get at least one more chapter up this weekend but no promises!**

**Enjoy! **

Another week past before Caitlyn and Shane were done with their project. Mitchie and Shane haven't spoken more than a greeting or goodbye, not that Mitchie minded. She started talking to her mother and father almost daily, and Caitlyn helped Mitchie gain more free time.

Mitchie found herself becoming happier as the year progressed. She had been so used to hating school and life that the more she became happy the more afraid she was of having it all slip away.

"Mitchie?" Caitlyn asked on Friday night.

"Hmm?" She muttered, not looking up from the book she was reading.

"Let's go out tonight."

"Mmm." Mitchie continued to mutter, not paying attention.

Caitlyn snatched the book from Mitchie's hands and looked at her, annoyance written on her face.

"What?" Mitchie asked, confused as to why Caitlyn had taken her book.

"You're not even listening to me!"

"Sorry," Mitchie said apologetically. "What were you saying?"

"I was saying, we should go out tonight. It's been a while and you need some social interaction. You're nose has been glued to books nonstop these past few weeks." Caitlyn smiled.

"Hey, I like reading, okay?" Mitchie smiled back.

"I know, but tonight we're going out. I've decided that you don't get a choice in the matter."

Mitchie just laughed and rolled her eyes. "Fine," She stood up. "What did you have in mind?"

"Nothing too crazy. How about we go see a movie?" She suggested.

"Yeah, alright." Mitchie agreed.

Since both Caitlyn and Mitchie didn't have much spending money, they found a mall in the area that showed movies for cheap. Mitchie decided to be the driver, and they arrived just as the previews were starting. The only downer about this mall was the lack of variety in movies and they were all movies that weren't necessarily playing anywhere else. The two girls had decided on seeing the newest Spider-Man movie and were fine.

"Well, wasn't that fun?" Caitlyn laughed as they left the theater.

Mitchie nodded. "Oh yes, cheap movies are the best."

"Isn't that Shane over there?" Caitlyn stopped. "And who is that girl he's with?"

Mitchie looked over and instantly recognized who the girl was.

Her name was Tess and she was a bitch. Mitchie didn't like her one bit. They have an English class together, and that being a class she would normally enjoy, she hated it. Tess was your typical popular girls. The one who was the prettiest in high school, head cheerleader, and belittled or crushed anyone who got in her way to the top.

"Shit," Caitlyn said. "They're coming this way."

Both girls plastered on fake smiles as the two approached.

"Hey guys," Shane smiled, hand dropping from Tess's waist. "What are you doing here?"

"Girl's night out," Caitlyn said. "What about you? And who's your friend?" She turned her attention to Tess.

Mitchie noticed anger lacing Caitlyn's voice as she spoke. She was clearly unhappy with Shane.

"Uh, Caitlyn, Mitchie, this is Tess." Shane said nervously.

"Oh hey!" Tess suddenly squealed. "I know you!" She pointed at Mitchie. "You're in my English class, right?" She laughed annoyingly.

Mitchie's fake smile grew wider. "Yeah, we do."

Shanewas turning pale.

"So, are you two on a date?" Caitlyn asked.

"Yes, we are." Tess clung onto Shane's arm, grinning like an idiot, and not in a cute way.

Shane's eyes were on Mitchie, but she refused to meet his stare, unsure of what she would do if she did.

"That's great!" Caitlyn said sarcastically, smiling.

"I know right?" Tess said, the sarcasm going unnoticed. "I've been trying to get him to ask me out for a while now!" She giggled.

Mitchie wanted to punch that grin off of Tess's face.

"Well, Caitlyn and I should be off," She grabbed onto her arm. "You two enjoy the rest of your date!"

With one final fake smile, they were gone.

"What a dick!" Caitlyn yelled getting into the car. "I can't believe he's on a date, especially with that dumb bitch, after everything!"

"Caitlyn calm—"

"Don't tell me to calm down!" She interrupted. "Why aren't you more upset about this? He's yours!"

"No, he's not!" Mitchie shouted back. "He's free to do what he wants! I've turned him down multiple times I don't expect him to wait forever!"

"If he loves you as much as much as he says he does then he wouldn't be on a date right now." Caitlyn mumbled, crossing her arms over her chest.

Mitchie sighed and started the car. She knew she should be more hurt by what Shane's going on a date but she couldn't. She didn't believe she had the right to be. Why should she? They weren't a couple, she told him no, he moved on. That's how life works, right?

Upon returning to campus, the two girls decided to continue their girl's night in their room. There was no food at the dorm though, so Mitchie volunteered to run back out and get some so that they could pig out and watch more movies.

Arriving in a pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt, Mitchie walked into the Bel Air, eager to get what she needed and get back to her dorm. Quickly going down the ales, she wasted no time grabbing as much junk food as her cart could carry and getting into the checkout line to buy the food.

Once everything was paid for, she moved quickly to her car, opening the trunk to start putting things away when she was stopped by a hand grabbing her wrist. She snapped her head around and was irritated to see Shane.

"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you still be on your date?" Mitchie asked, taking her wrist back.

"Look, Mitchie-" He started.

"No, stop right there," She stopped him. "You don't have to explain yourself. I'm not upset or angry at you. You have every right to go on dates."

Shane looked genuinely surprised. Mitchie knew he was expecting the complete opposite reaction.

"So," He started. "You aren't mad at me for going out with Tess?"

"I'm not mad about the date, but honestly Shane, you could do much better than Tess."

He scoffed. "Well, better doesn't want anything to do with me."

"Whatever makes you happy, Shane." Mitchie turned back around and finished putting her groceries into the car and slamming the trunk shut.

"Why can't you just me upset with me or be jealous? Why can't you just see how much it's killing me that you want nothing to do with me?" Shane pinned Mitchie to her car, staring her in the eyes.

Mitchie just stared back at him, not saying a word.

"I'm sorry," He said stepping back. "That was out of line."

"It's not that I don't want anything to do with you, Shane, I do, you just can't seem to give me a little time or prove to me that you deserve another chance. You aren't hearing me. I still have feelings for you, of course I do, I'm just being careful."

And with that Mitchie was in her car and driving off.


	13. Chapter 12

**A/N: I did it! Here is the next chapter! Tomorrow is my birthday and I have a buttload of stuff do so there might not be another chapter until next weekend at the latest! I hope you like this chapter!**

Mitchie sighed, driving into her a parking spot back at the school. She quickly gathered the bags from her trunk and walked to her dorm.

"Mitchie? Is that you?" Caitlyn poked her head out of the closet.

"Yeah," Mitchie said, arms full of bags, kicking the door shut behind her. "Sorry I took so long, the lines were crazy."

Mitchie didn't think it was important to mention running into Shane. At this point she figured any chance that they had of ever being together was gone and that she should just move on herself.

"Did you get any ice cream? I'm having a terrible craving!" Caitlyn asked, walking over to the bags of food.

"You're in luck," Mitchie laughed pulling out cartons of ice cream. "I got three different kinds, chocolate, mint chocolate chip, and fudge tracks."

"You are my best friend!" Caitlyn exclaimed grabbing all three cartons from Mitchie's hands. "I shall have some of each!"

With the combination of ice cream, soda, and other sugary snacks, Caitlyn and Mitchie stayed up all night laughing, watching movies and talking about life before they had met each other. It took Mitchie's mind off of Shane, which is exactly what she needed.

It was six in the morning when the two girls' eye lids couldn't stay open any longer. They both knew their sleeping schedule would be messed up because of this but they didn't care.

"Mitchie." Caitlyn groaned, later that afternoon.

Mitchie groaned and rolled over. The two girls didn't make it to their beds and were spread out across their floor.

"Mitchie, wake up. You're phone is going off, make it stop!" Caitlyn whined, hitting Mitchie over the head with a pillow.

Mitchie groaned again and stretched her arm out, not wanting to open her eyes, looking for her phone. A few moments later she finally found it. "Hello?" She answered while her voice cracked.

"Honey! It's about time you answered!" Her mother's cheerful voice said.

"Mom?" Mitchie groaned.

"Don't use that tone with me!" Her mother said.

"Sorry, Mom. Your call just woke me up. Caitlyn and I stayed up too late and didn't get much sleep."

"Oh, I'm sorry honey." Her mother sympathized. "And I'm sorry for what I'm about to tell you."

"What are you talking about, mom?" Mitchie asked confused.

"Well, you're father and I are walking into your dorm building as we speak."

Mitchie shot up, suddenly feeling wide awake.

"What is it?" Caitlyn mouthed, seeing the shock on Mitchie's face.

"What do you mean you and Dad are here? Why didn't you tell me you were coming?" Mitchie asked, struggling to stand up and find her sweatshirt.

"We wanted to surprise you because we missed you," Her mother spoke. "Now, could you please open the door? It's a bit strange standing outside a door while talking on the phone with the person on the other side of the door."  
Mitchie hung up the phone and opened the door. Sure enough, there were her parents standing at her door with a suitcase in one of each of their hands.

"Hi, Mom and Dad." Mitchie smiled nervously.

"Hi honey!" Her mother smiled, wrapping her arms around her neck.

"I can't believe you guys are here."

"We just couldn't wait to see you any longer." Her father commented.

Mitchie smiled and quickly hugged her father.

"Oh," she said pulling away. "Parents, this is my roommate, Caitlyn. Caitlyn, these are my parents Connie and Terry."

"Hi, Caitlyn. Mitchie has told us a lot about you." Her mother smiled, going in for a hug.

Caitlyn obliged and hugged back.

"It's nice to meet you both." Caitlyn smiled.

"I'm sorry about waking you two up." Connie smiled. "What were you girls doing last night?"

"We went to the movies, came back here, I ran back out and got some junk food and we ate our hearts out watching chick flicks." Mitchie smiled.

Connie smiled. "That sounds fun."

Both girls nodded.

"Well, your father and I should be going. We just wanted to see you before we checked into our hotel." Connie smiled.

"Okay," Mitchie said. "I'll call you guys when I've properly woken up."

"See you soon, sweetie." Connie kissed the top of Mitchie's head and walked back toward the door.

Mitchie's father did the same and followed her mother out the door.

"Well," Caitlyn said. "That was a surprised."

"Yeah," Mitchie scratched the back of her neck. "I'm sorry about that. If I had known I would have given you more warning."

"Don't worry about it," Caitlyn patted her shoulder. "They seem great and they really love you."

Mitchie nodded in agreement. She knew her parents loved her and that they were there because they cared, but she couldn't help but be nervous. She was afraid of them running into Shane before she could tell them he was there.

"I better shower and get coffee," Mitchie said rubbing her face. "My parent's will probably start calling compulsively if I don't get back to them in an hour." She laughed.

"Alright," Caitlyn said. "You have fun. I'm going to get back to sleep because unlike you, I don't have parents here to entertain."

"You lucky butt." Mitchie laughed.

"Goodnight!"

Mitchie took a quick shower and was ready and out the door in just under an hour. She got to her car and stood at the driver's side door, digging through her bag looking for her keys when a pair of hands wrapped around her waist.

"Shane," Mitchie groaned. "I have somewhere to be. I don't have time for you right now."

"Where do you have to be that's more important than talking to me?" He smirked, turning Mitchie around to face him.

She pushed his hands off her and continued to look for her keys. Once she found them she opened her car door and threw her purse into the car, turning her attention back to Shane.

"My parents are in town." She crossed her arms over her chest.

Shane's face whitened. "Oh, when did they get here?"

"About an hour ago," She looked down at the ground. "They don't know you're here so if I were you I'd cool it with your attempts at convincing me to give you another chance."

"How much do they hate me?" He asked after a few moments of silence.

"On a scale of one to ten?" Mitchie said. "Twenty."


	14. Chapter 13

**A/N: Ah! I got this out sooner than planned! :) Gotta love having subs in classes, that way you can just do whatever you want instead of learning ;D **

**Thank you so much for the kind reviews I've been getting, they mean a lot to me! (:**

"Hi, honey." Mitchie's mom greeted when she finally arrived to the hotel.

"Hey, Mom." She smiled back, stepping inside.

"You're father is in the shower but afterward we were thinking we all should go out to an early dinner. How does that sound?"

"That sounds great, Mom."

Mitchie didn't realize just how much she missed her parents until she was spending time with them. It had been so easy for her to walk away without a thought that she forgot exactly what she was leaving behind.

"How long are you guys in town for?" Mitchie asked on the drive back to her parent's hotel.

"Only a week." Terry answered.

"I've really missed you guys." Mitchie smiled.

Connie smiled back, turning around in the front seat slightly and gripping Mitchie's hand. "We've missed you two sweetie. We're just happy to see that you're finally happy."

Mitchie frowned a little.

"After what happened with Shane, you were just in some funk. You weren't the same after you two broke up."

Mitchie wanted nothing more than to make her mother stop talking. She had known it was a matter of time before the subject was to come up, but she had hoped she had a little more time to think of something to say to make Shane's presence in her life sound less terrible to her parents.

"Yeah, things were definitely different." She mumbled.

"I'm glad he's out of your life now. As much as I had hoped you two would have worked out, I wouldn't want to see my baby girl that unhappy again."

Mitchie sighed and looked out the car window. This of course didn't go unnoticed by her father.

"What's wrong, Mitchie?" He asked, creasing his brow.

"Nothing," she smiled weakly. "I'm fine."

"Are you thinking about him?"

Mitchie stayed silent, knowing if she spoke again her parents would see right through her lies. Lucky for her, they dropped the subject after a few moments of no response.

When they got back to the hotel, Mitchie excused herself, saying she needed to get back to school. Her father walked her out, while her mother stayed at the room to shower.

"I know you don't like to talk about Shane but you shouldn't let his name effect you," Terry spoke as they walked. "He's gone now, you're in a new state, you should start over here. I know that's one of the reasons you pushed to come to California for college in the first place."

"Yes, that is why I came here, at first," Mitchie admitted. "To escape from everything that kept me linked to Shane, but now I have made peace with it. I do want a fresh start here but it's not because he broke my heart anymore but it's more because I just need to find me."

"But, something is still bothering you." Terry stated.

Mitchie simply nodded.

"Would you like to tell me what it is? You know you can tell me anything, sweetie."

"Even though I've come to terms with what he did it is still hard on me."

"Why?" He asked.

Mitchie took a deep breath. "Shane is here. He goes to school with me and he wants to be with me again." She finally admitted.

Her father smiled softly, wrapping an arm around her shoulder as they walked. "I know."

Mitchie's head shot up and looked at her father in the eyes, confusion written all over her expression.

"I saw him as your mother and I were leaving the campus. Luckily, you're mother didn't see him. I don't know what she would have done if she did."

"Why didn't you say anything?" She frowned.

"I didn't think you're mother would have responded well to the news and I wasn't sure if you were aware of it or not so I didn't want to be the one to say something and worry you."

"What should I do, Dad? A part of me still has feelings for him but I don't know if I can trust him again or not."

They stopped walking; reaching Mitchie's car and Terry squeezed her shoulder. "I don't know what to tell you, Mitchie. You need to do what you think is right for you."

"I don't know what's right for me anymore," She sighed. "I honestly thought I would never have to see him again and that it was over. It never even crossed my mind that he would be back in my life and asking for a second chance."

Terry kissed the top of his daughters head reassuringly. "Have you tried just being friends and seeing where that takes things?"

"He says he can't just be my friend, I've already suggested that to him. He says he can't ignore his feelings but he still respects mine."

"You'll figure it all out, sweetie, I promise." He assured her.

"God," Mitchie chuckled lightly. "I feel like I'm still in high school."

"It does get easier. I promise."

After another few moments of talking they said goodnight and Mitchie went back to campus, feeling more confused than before but comforted by the fact that her father was there for her. Now that he knew she had hoped he would have been able to tell her what to do but he couldn't and she knew that it was her choice, her problem and she had to do this on her own.

Monday came too quickly for Mitchie's liking. She groaned as she entered her English class, dreading to see Tess.

"Shane is such a gentleman!" Mitchie heard Tess squeal upon entering the room and taking her seat.

Mitchie rolled her eyes and pulled out the materials she needed for the class before it officially started.

"Did he kiss you?" One of Tess's friends asked giggling like a little girl.

"No," Tess sighed sadly. "He only gave me a peck on the cheek, but he asked me out again tonight for dinner. He says he has something important to tell me."

Her friends gasped. "Do you think he's going to officially ask you to be his girlfriend?" Another friend asked.

"I think so!" Tess squealed excitedly. "I mean, we've only been on like one official date but I think it went really well and we really connected."

The second the class was over, Mitchie sprinted out of the room when dismissed and went straight to her dorm.

After listening to Tess's conversation she took it as a sign. It was time to let Shane go once and for all.


	15. Chapter 14

**A/N: I'm sorry this took so long to write but I got a bit discouraged when I got a comment telling me how terribly I had written the last chapter and I know I did do a terrible job with the grammar but, that was because I was in a hurry to put it up. Next time you would like to tell me how terribly I write, don't. Thank you to those who leave nice reviews and can look past my mistakes and keep reading. **

It was the next day when Mitchie decided to tell Shane that she had made up her mind. She still hasn't said a word to Caitlyn about what she had heard or that she had made a decision, thinking it would best, knowing she might convince her to change her mind.

After having lunch with her parents, Mitchie was off to meet Shane, who was more than happy to meet with her.

Shane was grinning when Mitchie approached him. "Hey," He said. "I wasn't sure if you would really show up."

She smiled weakly. "I asked you to meet me. It would have been rude for me not to show up."

"What did you want to talk about?"

"I just wanted to say that I hope you and Tess are happy and that you don't need to worry about my feelings anymore."

Shane looked at her confused. "What are you talking about?" He grabbed Mitchie's hands. "Tess and I aren't anything."

"I heard her talking about how you were going to ask her to be your girlfriend yesterday in class. I don't want to get in the way of you two." Mitchie said taking her hands back and taking a step back.

"No, Mitchie you've got it all wrong," He took a step toward her again. "I asked her out again to tell her I couldn't see her anymore. She isn't who I want to be with." He gently cupped her cheeks.

"Maybe you should just go ahead and give her a chance."

Mitchie tried to step back again, only to have Shane pull her closer.

"Why? I can't be with someone I don't have feeling for."

"Why did you go out with her in the first place?"

Shane sighed. "She had been asking for a while, like she had said the other night, and you didn't want me. I thought I could get over my feelings for you and just be your friend, like you had wanted, but I can't, Mitchie." He said quietly, lightly moving his hands to rest on her hips, not wanting to scare her away.

Mitchie lightly pressed her forehead against Shane's. "What am I going to do with you, Shane?" She chuckled lightly.

He pressed a light kiss to her forehead and pulled her into a tight hug. "Just go on one date with me," He spoke into her hair. "And if you realize that friends is all you really want to be then so be it."

She pulled back slightly and looked up at him, searching his eyes. "Really?" She asked sheepishly.

He nodded. "I just want you back in my life. I'll look past my feelings if that's what you really want."

Mitchie knew that wasn't what he wanted. She knew it would hurt him to only be her friend, but the fact that he would do that for her meant so much.

"Yes," She said. "I'll go on a date with you."

"You won't regret it." Shane smiled widely, kissing her head again.

"I know I won't." She muttered to herself.

Halfway back to her dorm building, Mitchie received a panicked phone call from her mother.

"Calm down, Mom. Use your words." Mitchie said after she stopped walking.

"Guess who your father and I just had the pleasure of running into." Connie said bitterly.

_Oh no. _Mitchie thought to herself.

"Did you know Shane went to your school?" Connie asked, not giving Mitchie any time to think.

"Where are you, Mom?" Mitchie asked, ignoring the question.

"You left your purse in the car after lunch. Your father and I decided to bring it to you."

"I'm almost at my dorm building, can you meet me there?"

"Did you know?" She asked again.

"I'll see you soon." Mitchie hung up the phone and sprinted to her room.

Turning down the hallway, Mitchie immediately met her mother's angry eyes and her father's worried eyes.

"Thank you for coming and bringing me my purse back." Mitchie smiled nervously, reaching for it.

"When were you going to tell us about Shane?" Connie asked, putting her hands on her hips.

"What does it matter, Mom?"Mitchie groaned.

"What do you mean, 'what does it matter?'!" Connie asked, appalled. "Why were you keeping it from me?"

"I didn't tell you because I knew you would react this way. I know how you feel about him, Mom! I wanted to deal with this without your opinion!" Mitchie exclaimed.

"What is that supposed to mean?" She gasped.

"I mean, you would have only made my choice harder. I know how much you loved him and how mad you were when we broke up."

"Honey, I just want you to be happy here." She reached forward to touch Mitchie's shoulder, only to have her flinch away.

"I'm an adult now, Mom. I can make my own decisions and I don't need you sheltering me."

Mitchie was done listening to her mother. She grabbed her bag and entered her room, slamming the door behind her.

"What's wrong with you?" Mandy asked getting off her bed, moving to Mitchie's.

"My mom found out Shane goes here. She's upset that I didn't tell her about it and is offended that I thought she was overreacting."

"Why is she upset?"

"My mom loved Shane. When we broke up she was possibly more upset that I was. I can't even begin to imagine what she had planned for the two of us or what she has planned now."

Caitlyn sympathized for Mitchie. Unsure of what to do or say she simply sat and listened while Mitchie poured her heart out.

Saturday finally had come and Mitchie's parents were due to leave. She had still refused to speak to her mother but would speak to her father on occasion.

Shane hasn't wanted to be around campus much, in fear of Connie searching for him. When he had run into them days before the shock and anger immediately spread across Connie's face. Luckily, few words were exchanged and he was able to make a quick escape.

"You should at the very least say goodbye, they still are your parents." Shane said as they walked around campus, coffee in hand.

"I'll text my dad." Mitchie said before taking a long drink.

"Mitchie," Shane stopped walking, taking a hold of her free wrist. "You can't let them leave on a sour note. Suck it up and go see them." He smiled softly.

Mitchie smiled back weakly. "Alright, fine. Thank you, Shane." She softly kissed his cheek and they continued to walk, fingers slowly intertwining.


	16. Chapter 15

**A/N: I'm sorry it took me so long to post this! I've been crazy busy with stupid school work for a book I had to read in English. I also wanted to apologize for the last author's note about the comment I received, everyone is entitled to their opinions, suggestions, and ect. I am sorry for being rude about the matter. I hope people will still read this even though I can be dumb haha. Thank you! **

Mitchie hesitantly knocked on her parent's hotel room door and took a step back, waiting. A few seconds later the door swung open and she was facing her father.

"Mitchie," He said surprised. "Hi. We didn't think we would be seeing you again before we left."

"I wasn't going to come," She said honestly. "But, Shane made me realized that it would be stupid and childish of me not to. I know that I would regret it later."

Terry engulfed Mitchie into a tight hug. "We love you, Mitchie, no matter what."

She smiled against his chest. "I know, Dad. Thank you."

"Terry? Who's at the door?" Connie asked, walking out of the bathroom.

Mitchie pulled away from Terry and looked up at Connie nervously. "Hi, Mom."

"Mitchie," She breathed. "What are you doing here?"

"I just came to say goodbye. I would never forgive myself if I didn't say a proper goodbye before you left."

Connie went to Mitchie and hugged her tightly. "Thank you, sweetie."

"I still love you, Mom. Nothing is going to change that."

"I love you too, hun, and I'm sorry for the way I reacted to Shane being here."

"And I'm sorry for yelling at you."

"Don't apologize. I would have yelled at me too." She pulled back, smiling weakly.

Mitchie hugged Connie once more and pulled back smiling. "When are you leaving?"

"Within the hour." Connie said.

"Do you need any help packing?"

"Sure, sweetie. Thank you." Terry smiled.

Mitchie was happy to be on good terms with her parents again. Though, she was upset that she had spent a majority of their visit being upset and ignoring them.

After seeing her parents off, Mitchie decided to go back to her dorm, feeling happy. Before she had the chance to get her door open, a hand violently grabbed her wrist, spinning her around.

"You little bitch!" Tess hissed.

Mitchie's eyes widened in fear. "What are you talking about?" She asked, trying to mask her shaky voice.

"You stole Shane from me!" She shouted.

Of course, this was about Shane. Mitchie should have guessed.

"I didn't steal him." Mitchie hissed, taking back her wrist. "He just realized that he didn't want to be with a conceded, stuck up bitch like you!"

Her confidence was rising.

"Oh, and he wants an ugly stupid bitch like you?" Tess snorted.

"What has you so convinced that he only left you because of me? There are plenty of reasons why someone wouldn't want to be with you." Mitchie smirked, crossing her arms over her chest.

Before Mitchie realized what was happening, Tess slapped her hard across the face.

"You know what you little whore, just back off! I had him first!"

Mitchie held her cheek and laughed. "Is that what you think? You don't know anything."

Tess raised her hand to slap Mitchie again, but this time Mitchie was ready and slammed her against the wall, twisting her arm behind her back before she could. "I'm not going to let you continue to bully me and push me around!" Mitchie said into her ear. "Leave me alone, got it? Just move on!"

With those last words, Mitchie released her arms and walked into her room, slamming the door behind her.

"Why is it you always seem to be upset about something when you walk into the room?" Caitlyn asked, sitting up from her bed. "What's going on? I heard something hit the wall just now."

"Everything's fine." Mitchie mumbled.

"What happened to your cheek?" Caitlyn gasped, stepping closer to her.

"It's nothing." She said lightly pushing Caitlyn 's hand away and stepping over to the refrigerator.

"Did somebody hit you? Was it Shane?" She asked, anger starting to rise in her.

Mitchie took a can of soda out, sighing, and shutting the fridge, facing Caitlyn again. "No, of course not. It was just Tess. It's been taken care of."

It was clear to Caitlyn that Mitchie didn't want to continue with the conversation so she chose to drop it, for Mitchie's sake but Mitchie knew it wasn't going to be the last of the conversation either.

It's now been a week since Mitchie's incident with Tess. In class, Tess now sat as far away from Mitchie as possible and no longer spent the class time sitting with her followers bragging anymore.

She hadn't meant to make her change; she only wanted to be left alone. She almost felt guilty, and that she should apologize for her violence, but quickly decided against it, not wanting to show a sign of weakness or an invitation to resume her behavior.

After class the following Thursday afternoon, Mitchie and Shane had made plans to study together, just to be able to spend time some together.

The two have been finding it difficult to find a night that they were both free to finally go on that one date Mitchie had promised Shane. So, they make do with study dates together.

Knocking on the door, expecting Shane to be alone, she hears a voice that doesn't belong to Shane or his roommate. When she the door finally opens, she notices Nate, standing behind Shane.

"Nate!" Mitchie squeals, pushing past Shane and tightly hugging him.

"Hey, Mimi!" He laughed. "Have have you been?"

"I've been busy!" She giggles a little. "How about you?"

"Hello to you too, Mitchie." Shane spoke, before Nate could respond.

Mitchie giggled and rolled her eyes, quickly pecking his cheek. "I'm sorry. Hello Shane."

"Much better!" He smiled happily.

Mitchie was happy to see Nate. It had been a long time since she had seen him and she did like how close they had become the last time he was in town.

"So," Nate asked a few hours later, after a lack of getting any studying done. "What's the deal with you two? Are you going to give your relationship another go or what?"

Nate's forwardness never seemed to cease.

Both Mitchie and Shane stayed silent, unsure of how to answer.

"Based off your silence I'm going to take it as you haven't done anything yet. Am I going to have to lock you two in a room until you work everything out?" He threatened, crossing his arms over his chest. "Well?"

"There will be no need for that." Shane finally spoke. "We just haven't exactly had the time. I mean, she agreed to go on one date with me but like I said, there hasn't exactly been time."

"Why don't you guy go on one now? You can get an early dinner." Nate suggested.

Mitchie and Shane both looked at each other. "What do you say?" Mitchie smiled. "I'm up for it."

He smiled as well. "I am too."

"Then go! Have fun you crazy kids!" Nate said.

"Will you be okay by yourself for a couple hours?" Shane asked.

"Yes, yes, I'll be fine. I am a big boy!" He laughed, pushing the two out the door.


	17. Authors note! Sorry!

I am SO sorry about not updating this story in forever. I have just gotten really busy with school...I was on the verge of not graduating so I really had to buckle down and figure everything out, BUT now everything is good again and I now know how to actually balance everything! I have seriously missed writing! I should be back with a new chapter within the next few days! I hope you all don't hate me too much and have completely given up on this story! I am back now though! I also have a couple new stories coming out as well, but I promise from now on I will write at least two chapters before posting one so that I have more to put up when I start to slack! Again, so sorry and I'm sorry about this not being a chapter! A new one will be up in a few days! THANK YOU! :)


	18. Chapter 16

**A/N: FINALLY! Here is the next chapter! I have most of the next chapter written so it shouldn't be so long for the next update! Please tell me what you think! Feedback is always great! Enjoy!**

"I'm glad we did this." Mitchie smiled, looking up at Shane. The two were returning to campus after having a nice early dinner.

"I am too." He smiled back.

"Shane?" Mitchie asked, stopping. He stopped as well and waited. "If you hadn't moved away, do you think we would have stayed together?" She asked seriously. "Were we good for each other?"

Shane smiled softy, rubbing small circles into their now intertwined hands. "I know that I wouldn't have let you go. I was happy. It may sound stupid, but I was hoping that we would have gotten married some day." His face flushed as he spoke.

Mitchie giggled. "You always were a hopeless romantic at heart."

"Only with you."

Shane pressed their foreheads together and started into Mitchie's eyes. "I always thought I loved you more than you loved me." He confessed.

Mitchie slowly pressed her lips against Shane's, bringing her arms up and wrapping them around his neck. He didn't hesitate to kiss Mitchie back with the same amount of force, needing this kiss as much as she did. When air became necessary, Mitchie was the first to pull back. "Are you going to run away from me again?"She whispered hesitantly.

He pecked her lips. "Never." He said truthfully.

"Good." She grinned.

"Does this mean I get another chance?" He asked, hopeful.

"Let's just see how it goes, okay? There's no rush."

"Whatever you want."

They continued walking back toward the dorms, hand in hand and goofy grins spread across their faces.

They said their goodnights and Mitchie went up to her own room. Caitlyn was already asleep when she got in and tried to be as quiet as possible. As Mitchie lied in her bed, she thought back to the beginning of her and Shane's relationship. She remembered how eager he was to make her officially his.

_Flashback_

_"We've been on three dates now, Mitch. When can I call you my girlfriend?" Shane asked, walking Mitchie up to her door._

_"Shane, we have all the time in the world. Why rush?" She asked. _

_"Because I want to show you off, let other guys know that you chose me over them, be more than friends who have gone on a few dates."_

_Mitchie smiled softly. "I don't want to mess this up, Shane. You were my best friend first and if we rush it, we might fall apart." She said honestly. "We are more than friends but not yet an official couple. I'm not going anywhere, Shane. I promise."_

_Shane sighed, understanding what she was saying. "Yeah, okay."_

_"Hey," She said grabbing his hand, stopping him from walking off. "Don't I get a goodnight kiss?"_

_Shane couldn't help but crack a smile. He gently pressed their lips together, unable to stop himself from smiling through the kiss. _

_"Goodnight." She smiled, pecking him again and quickly going inside._

_End of Flashback_

It ended up being only two dates later that Mitchie and Shane had become official. Mitchie couldn't help but smile to herself, remembering that night and how happy they both were. She was slowly becoming convinced that they could be happy again.

Caitlyn and Nate were more than thrilled when they learned that the date had been a success. Nate, of course, took the credit for being the one who successfully put the two back on track for being together again.

"Have you told your parents about Shane yet?" Caitlyn asked a few weeks later.

Mitchie and Shane have officially been on four dates, but have seen each other almost daily since their first date.

"Not yet," Mitchie sighed, closing her textbook. "I'm waiting to tell them after we become official."

"So, never?" Caitlyn teased.

"Shut up." Mitchie laughed, playfully hitting her.

"But seriously, when do you think that will happen?"

"I'm going to ask him after our fifth date." Mitchie smiled.

"Why the fifth date?"

"Because," She started. "It was on our fifth date, when we had first started seeing each other, that we became official. I thought it would be sweet to become official on our fifth date again."

"Aw! That is so cute! So, you're going to ask him?"

Mitchie nodded. "You don't think he'll mind, do you? I mean, he asked me last time, but that was because I told him I was ready. I just want it to be special this time, you know?"

Caitlyn nodded, understanding. "I don't think he'll mind at all! He'll just be happy to call you his again. Do you know when you're going out again?"

"Tonight!" She grinned.

"I'm so happy for you two!" Caitlyn squealed, throwing her arms around Mitchie. "I just know that things are going to work out this time!"

"I think you're right." Mitchie agreed.

Shane was taking Mitchie bowling. It was something that the two had done a lot back in Texas and loved, though they were both terrible at it.

"Strike!" Mitchie shouted excitedly. "I got a strike!"

"How did you do that?!" Shane asked, shocked.

"No idea!" She grinned. "I'm just lucky I guess."

Shane rolled his eyes and got up to take his turn.

At the end of the game, Mitchie had somehow won. "When did you get good at bowling?" Shane asked as they drove back to campus.

"I was still terrible, I just finally beat you." She teased.

"It was only because of that random strike you got." He mumbled.

"Don't be a sore loser!"

Shane poked his tongue out at her and focused back on driving.

"Shane?" Mitchie asked, a little nervous, as they walked toward the dorm buildings.  
"Hmm?" He hummed.

"You care about me, right?"

This caught Shane's full attention, making him stop and hold Mitchie's hand. "Of course I do, why do you ask?"

"We've been on a few dates now, right?"

"This will have been our fifth." He smiled.

"Shane," She started.

"Yes." He grinned.

"Yes what? You don't even know what I was going to say!" She protested, crossing her arms over her chest.

"You were going to ask me to be your boyfriend." He teased, poking her sides, causing her to giggle.

"Did Caitlyn tell you?"

"She didn't have to. I just know you, Mitch." He said, snaking his arms around her waist. "And I know that it was on our fifth date, the first time, that you let me ask you to officially be my girlfriend."

Mitchie rested her forehead against his and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I'm surprised you know and remember that."

"How could I forget the best day of my life?"

"That was so cheesy, but sweet."

He quickly pecked Mitchie's lips.

"So is that a yes?" Mitchie asked.

"Yes." He grinned.


End file.
